Athletic field cover



Aug. 19, 195s H. D. WYNN 2,848,233'

ATHLETIC FIELD COVER Filed Dec. 13. 1 956.

` INVENTOR Herman D. Wynn ATTORNEY) Unite States Patent ATHLETlC FIELD COVER Herman D. Wynn, Knoxville, Tenn., assigner to Southern Athletic Company, Inc., Knoxville, Tenn., a corporation of Tennessee Application December 13, 1956, Serial No. 628,165

3 Claims. (Cl. 273-27) This invention relates to improvements in water repellent covers for athletic and recreation fields.

Tarpaulin and other covers are presently used for the purpose of maintaining recreation elds, etc. in lit condition. If a conventional oil and tar impregnated tarpaulin is used, the material is so heavy and bulky that it is practically impossible to satisfactorily, conveniently and expeditiously handle it. On the other hand it has been proposed to use sectional eld covers, but such for the most part are equipped with straps, buckles and other fittings, which render them complicated for use and vulnerable from the standpoint of quick deterioration of parts. Also, it has been proposed to use special joint connector devices at the longitudinal edges of the cover sections placed crosswise of the fields, some using supporting trestles of rigid frame pieces which in themselves are impractical to manipulate for satisfactorily folding the cover into a compact package. It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a sectional eld covering formed of ilexible water repellent material; the entire section being flexible, except for grommets used therein, and the sections being so related that they can be quickly assembled in eld covering position by unskilled labor. The joints or overlaps of the sections are so uniquely arranged that water will be kept from seeping to the under sides of the sections, and the latter are of such dimensions and arrangement that they can be conveniently folded or rolled into that degree of compactness which admits of appreciable space conservation.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a section for recreation and athletic held coverings having an improved flap structure adapted to receive a marginal portion of an adjacent section in an improved manner such as will not permit seepage of water to the under surfaces of the covering sections.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an improved athletic field covering having sections which are provided with an improved pocket providing flap structure at the joint margins thereof for receiving marginal portions of adjacent sections in a manner which will prevent free seepage of water to the under side of the covering.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Fig. l is a plan view showing the assembled sections f the field covering, some of the parts being shown rather diagrammatically.

Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are enlarged sectional views taken substantailly on their respective lines 2 2, 3 3, 4 4, and 5 5 designated in Fig. l of the drawing.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary underside view of a corner section of the covering, showing the construction thereof.

. TCC

sections B and B' and two other corner sections E and E', which are formed as rights and lefts; intermediate flap providing sections C, and other intermediate sections D which are simpler in construction than the sections C and which have an interiitting relation with respect to the adjacent marginal aps of the sections C.

The material of all of the sections of the field covering may be water repellent flexible plastic; water repellent rubber impregnated flexible fabric, or even of conventional flexible tarpaulin.

While l do not wish to be restricted to dimensions it should be noted that a eld covering must be such as to cover an area of 360 feet by 164 feet. In as much as l prefer to use as few sections in the makeup of the overall covering as will conveniently serve the purpose of facile handling, I have found that a eld covering constructed of twelve sections is ideal. That is, o-n each side of the center of the field there will be six sections with a one foot overlap at the medial line of the field, and the sections are so related that crosswise of the field there will be a one and one half foot ilap overlap at the side marginal portions of adjacent sections.

The sections B, B', C, D, E and E' are each of substantially the same size. They are rectangular and their lengths extend crosswise of the iield. The sections B and B', except for the fact that they are formed in rights and lefts are of the same construction. Taped reinforcement 20 is marginally stitched as at 21 to the undersides of the sections around the free margins thereof. Certain improved flap structures are provided upon sections B, B' and C adapted to form and provide pockets for receiving marginal edges of the sections D, E and E'.

The sections D are very simply formed, consisting of a ilexible main body portion 27, the undersides of the same at each end and at each side margin thereof being provided with the above mentioned reinforcing tape 20, stitched as at 2i. Therefore the entire section D is thus marginally reinforced.

The sections C each include a llexible main body portion 30. At the end margins thereof they are provided with the marginal reinforcement 2t) stitched thereto by the stitch lines 21 above designated. The side marginal portions of each section C, however, have the ap constructions 25.

The corner sections B and B' are tape reinforced at 20 upon their end margins and upon the outermost side margins of each. The innerside margins are provided with flap structures 25 as above mentioned.

The tape reinforced end margins of sections B, B', C, D, E and E' are provided with grommets 31 as are also the outermost side margins of B, B', E and E'.

Each of the flap constructions 25 comprises a flap providing sheet 35, doubled upon itself and connected at its doubled edge to the side margins of the sections C and to the inner side margins of sections E and E' by a felled seam structure 36. Thus, each flap providing section 25 provides loose flexible flaps 4t) and 41, which may conveniently be designated as top and bottom flaps, defining a pocket 42 therebetween which receives the marginal flap of an adjacent section D, E or E', as the case may be.

The seam structure 36 is what is conventionally known as a felled seam, and it consists of turning the doubled marginal portions 5t) into pocketed relation between the marginal portion of the body 30 and an inturned end 51. These six thicknesses of material providing the felled seam are stitched together as at 53. This provides a leak proof joint. The end ap extensions 4I) and 41 of each structure 25 defines a pocket 42 open at the extreme side edge or edges of the section upon which formed. The pocket extends the full length of the section for convenient reception therein of an adjection marginal portion of the sections D, E or E'.

The under surface of the outer marginal portions of the uppermost flaps 40 of each ap structure 25 is provided with reinforcing tape 20a stitched at 21a thereto.

Pegs 60 inserted in the grommets 31 are used for holding the sections of the covering in assembled relation as shown and above described. It is to be noted that each section is provided with grommets for retention of same upon the ground; the corner sections B, B', E and E' being provided with two margins of grommets and each of the other sections being provided with a grommet line only at the outer marginal ends thereof. lt is within contemplation of this invention to provide grommets at the overlaps both along the medial line and the flap lines if found necessary.

Various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be made to the .forms of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

I claim:

l. A water repellent section for athletic eld coverings comprising a water resistant body portion, an elongated side tlap providing a marginal section doubled along its longitudinal medial axis upon` itself and at the joint location of doubling being interlockingly connected in a felled seam sewn joint with a side marginal edging of the body portion whereby the flaps will extend transversely laterally from the seam to define a pocket which opens at the extreme outer marginal edges of said flaps.

2. A flexible Water repellent sectional covering for athletic and recreation fields comprising corner sections having means for connection to a ground surface, intermediate sections having means for connection at the ends thereof to a ground surface, said sections upon the under surfaces thereof along their marginal edges thereof being provided with stitched reinforcing tape, certain of said intermediate sections being provided with outwardly opening longitudinal pockets at the side marginal portions thereof adapted to lie horizontally when the sections are in position and receiving the marginal edges of other adjacent intermediate and adjacent corner sections in interitting relation in said pockets.

3. In a cover for protecting recreation and athletic fields, the combination of a plurality of separable ilexible elongated water resistant cover sections, each of which is provided with a body portion having two overlying flaps at each lengthwise side margin thereof and which aps are connected together upon the body portion inwardly from the outermost marginal edges of said tiaps to define pockets which open at the outermost edges of said flaps, and a second series of elongated llexible water resistant cover sections having marginal portions releasably fitted within said pockets whereby said pocket providing flaps of said first series of sections and the marginal portions of the second said series of sections lie in substantial horizontal parallelism, and means for connecting the end margins of each of said sections and the outermost side margins of the extreme outer side sections to a ground surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 974,091 ODonnell Oct. 25, 1910 1,629,362 Robert May 17, 1927 1,871,570 Weher Aug. 16, 1932 2,493,749 Brown Jan, l0, 1950 2,578,135 Hoigaard Dec. 11, 1951 2,650,401 La Mond Sept. 1, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 430,772 Germanyv Sept. 3, 1926 

